Exterior Light Bulb Replacement

[RedlandRanger]

I'm aware they were led, so are the license plate lights but I wanted brighter ones. I was hoping to swap out the reverse for brighter bulbs. This sucks..

I'm very sure the license plate lights are halogen in all models, not LED. I was surprised to find out it was halogen in my Lariat.

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[Deleted member 1634]

I'm aware they were led, so are the license plate lights but I wanted brighter ones. I was hoping to swap out the reverse for brighter bulbs. This sucks..

License plate lights aren't LED, they're just halogen bulbs, so you can swap those for LED. Though I'm not sure why anyone would want to. Seems quite unnecessary in my mind.

As far as brighter reverse lights, others with the same concern have added extra lights back there to help with that. A search on the forum might lend results. But in my opinion these reverse lights are crazy bright already. Definitely the brightest I've ever had on a vehicle by probably an order of magnitude. I'm not sure if you guys are trying to back into black holes or something, but seems excessive to add more lumens back there. Obviously you're free to do what you want, just giving my opinion. Enjoy your search and hopefully you find what you are looking for.

 

[lawrench]

License plate lights aren't LED, they're just halogen bulbs, so you can swap those for LED. Though I'm not sure why anyone would want to. Seems quite unnecessary in my mind.

As far as brighter reverse lights, others with the same concern have added extra lights back there to help with that. A search on the forum might lend results. But in my opinion these reverse lights are crazy bright already. Definitely the brightest I've ever had on a vehicle by probably an order of magnitude. I'm not sure if you guys are trying to back into black holes or something, but seems excessive to add more lumens back there. Obviously you're free to do what you want, just giving my opinion. Enjoy your search and hopefully you find what you are looking for.

On my Ranger, the license plate lights were incandescent bulbs. I replaced with LED for brighter white light and not that yellow tint that came standard. The LED run cooler and that is why I replaced mine.

 

[Sandman Ranger]

License plate lights aren't LED, they're just halogen bulbs, so you can swap those for LED. Though I'm not sure why anyone would want to. Seems quite unnecessary in my mind.

As far as brighter reverse lights, others with the same concern have added extra lights back there to help with that. A search on the forum might lend results. But in my opinion these reverse lights are crazy bright already. Definitely the brightest I've ever had on a vehicle by probably an order of magnitude. I'm not sure if you guys are trying to back into black holes or something, but seems excessive to add more lumens back there. Obviously you're free to do what you want, just giving my opinion. Enjoy your search and hopefully you find what you are looking for.

I have money to waste.
Reason I replaced mine.
Helping the economy!

 

[Deleted member 1634]

I have money to waste.
Reason I replaced mine.
Helping the economy!

Good enough reason for me! haha

 

[DrPerez007]

FWIW, I bought a handful of LED bulbs from Diode Dynamics during its 4th of July sale and also went on to Amazon and bought LED mirror puddle lights for my '19 Lariat. Did a 30 minute swap out on all non-LED lights except the front turn signals.

License plate lights are halogen and I, like many here, prefer the crisp white over the yellowish-tint of the factory bulbs, although I went with the HP3 "Pure White" bulbs because I'm only illuminating the plate, not the entire roadway. Just reach in underneath the bumper and turn the bulb holder and it's out. Repeat other side. Took all of 2 minutes to do the pair.

Mirror turn signal lights are relatively easy to do once you get over your fear of breaking the cover in taking it off. The cover literally comes right off with a tug (stand facing the "back" of the mirror, try to get your fingernails in-between the cover and front mirror part, and pull towards you). Once off, there is a separate "module" actually holding the light. It slides right out. Was about an 8 minute changeout with an HP3 "Amber" bulb for the two of them.

Side marker lights took a little longer only because I stripped the first Philips head screw when I went to pull out the recommended three fender-liner fasteners. For the record, you do NOT need to remove any of those fender-liner fasteners. Just go in behind the side marker light and pull that liner up & away from the body and it gives you immediate access to the bulb (tuck back when done). Both sides took less than 5 minutes once I fixed that fastener problem.

Puddle lights took me the longest (maybe 12-15 minutes), because I had to dick around with a small tool to get the light to release and drop. And even then, you still kinda have to play with it. There is a "You Tube" video on it people may want to watch (I did and it was helpful). Once it drops, unhook the factory wires, reconnect the new wires, secure with electrical tape because when you tuck those wires back up they are more than likely going to touch each other (you'll see why when you get into this), and then "pop" the light back into place (make sure the 'grooves' line up). My $13 Amazon (pair) lights work like a charm and are bright little suckers.

I did not do the front turn signals (the only remaining non-LED lights on my Lariat), because, frankly, I did not feel like going thru the whole resistor process. I have done it plenty on my Jeeps and while not a huge deal (particularly when you are making thousands of dollars of changes on every conceivable part of your Jeep), it was something I decided not to screw with on my Ranger (which is still under warranty). If I keep it long enough and get bored, I may do it down the road. Or go to one of the aftermarket programmers that, among other things, will resolve the associated hyper-flash issue.

IMPORTANT to keep in mind, by their nature, LED bulbs are polarity-sensitive. So make sure you check the light's functionality before putting it all back together to ensure the bulbs were plugged in correctly, and the puddle light wires were properly connected.

So for a grand total of about $50 and 30 minutes of my time, all done.

 

[Whiskeybilt]

I have an XLT, so I already have LEDs in the rear and I can't brighten up the reverse light? Odd. What about the head lights and turns?

 

[Big Blue]

I did not do the front turn signals (the only remaining non-LED lights on my Lariat), because, frankly, I did not feel like going thru the whole resistor process. I have done it plenty on my Jeeps and while not a huge deal (particularly when you are making thousands of dollars of changes on every conceivable part of your Jeep), it was something I decided not to screw with on my Ranger (which is still under warranty). If I keep it long enough and get bored, I may do it down the road. Or go to one of the aftermarket programmers that, among other things, will resolve the associated hyper-flash issue.

Hyper-flash is a quick fix in Forscan, no resistors required. I love my switchbacks in the front turns. I have my DRLs set to use parking and fogs not my low beams. like the look up front.

 

[Deleted member 1634]

I have an XLT, so I already have LEDs in the rear and I can't brighten up the reverse light? Odd. What about the head lights and turns?

You can change out the front halogens (lows, highs, fogs, turns, side markers) with LEDs if you wish. I've changed out everything to LEDs except the low beams so far.

There's a whole thread about it here with a list of the proven to work bulbs.

 

[Whiskeybilt]

You can change out the front halogens (lows, highs, fogs, turns, side markers) with LEDs if you wish. I've changed out everything to LEDs except the low beams so far.

There's a whole thread about it here with a list of the proven to work bulbs.

Thank you!

 

[GrandpaD]

Changed out all the non-LED in my Lariat, including the puddle lights. As said in the OP and other posts, it didn't take long. Just had to be a little careful with the side mirror turns. Then a FORScan to address the hyperblink. Thanks to all that contributed, made the task easy.

 

[nm6r]

To get the cap off, you have to stick a plastic pry tool under the cap and just kind of pop it off. Here's a pic showing where to stick in the pry tool. Let me know if you have any other questions.

I just installed the blacked out sequential LED mirror turn signals.

This post saved me. Thank you.

 

[BGDOGY]

To get the cap off, you have to stick a plastic pry tool under the cap and just kind of pop it off. Here's a pic showing where to stick in the pry tool. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Are they the same bulbs that light up the blind spot light? I would like to make that orange circle a bit brighter.

 

[codestp202]

FWIW, I bought a handful of LED bulbs from Diode Dynamics during its 4th of July sale and also went on to Amazon and bought LED mirror puddle lights for my '19 Lariat. Did a 30 minute swap out on all non-LED lights except the front turn signals.

License plate lights are halogen and I, like many here, prefer the crisp white over the yellowish-tint of the factory bulbs, although I went with the HP3 "Pure White" bulbs because I'm only illuminating the plate, not the entire roadway. Just reach in underneath the bumper and turn the bulb holder and it's out. Repeat other side. Took all of 2 minutes to do the pair.

Mirror turn signal lights are relatively easy to do once you get over your fear of breaking the cover in taking it off. The cover literally comes right off with a tug (stand facing the "back" of the mirror, try to get your fingernails in-between the cover and front mirror part, and pull towards you). Once off, there is a separate "module" actually holding the light. It slides right out. Was about an 8 minute changeout with an HP3 "Amber" bulb for the two of them.

Side marker lights took a little longer only because I stripped the first Philips head screw when I went to pull out the recommended three fender-liner fasteners. For the record, you do NOT need to remove any of those fender-liner fasteners. Just go in behind the side marker light and pull that liner up & away from the body and it gives you immediate access to the bulb (tuck back when done). Both sides took less than 5 minutes once I fixed that fastener problem.

Puddle lights took me the longest (maybe 12-15 minutes), because I had to dick around with a small tool to get the light to release and drop. And even then, you still kinda have to play with it. There is a "You Tube" video on it people may want to watch (I did and it was helpful). Once it drops, unhook the factory wires, reconnect the new wires, secure with electrical tape because when you tuck those wires back up they are more than likely going to touch each other (you'll see why when you get into this), and then "pop" the light back into place (make sure the 'grooves' line up). My $13 Amazon (pair) lights work like a charm and are bright little suckers.

I did not do the front turn signals (the only remaining non-LED lights on my Lariat), because, frankly, I did not feel like going thru the whole resistor process. I have done it plenty on my Jeeps and while not a huge deal (particularly when you are making thousands of dollars of changes on every conceivable part of your Jeep), it was something I decided not to screw with on my Ranger (which is still under warranty). If I keep it long enough and get bored, I may do it down the road. Or go to one of the aftermarket programmers that, among other things, will resolve the associated hyper-flash issue.

IMPORTANT to keep in mind, by their nature, LED bulbs are polarity-sensitive. So make sure you check the light's functionality before putting it all back together to ensure the bulbs were plugged in correctly, and the puddle light wires were properly connected.

So for a grand total of about $50 and 30 minutes of my time, all done.

Quick question on the license plate light change. I notice when I go in reverse, my lights in the camera are already really bright. Do you find the even brighter LED's washing out the camera?

 

[micl9]

Quick question on the license plate light change. I notice when I go in reverse, my lights in the camera are already really bright. Do you find the even brighter LED's washing out the camera?

pretty much - yes

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